Lost and Found
by Lycious
Summary: Post Season 1 - After an evening of bar hopping with Foggy to celebrate the win of a case, Matt wakes up hungover and In search of his phone and glasses. When he goes looking for them, he finds a few things about himself. Little Matt/Claire
1. Chapter 1

It was the abrupt and sudden sound of his talking alarm clock announcing the time was 7am that finally stirred Matt from his slumber. He opened his eyes, the imagine not changing from when his eyelids were closed. It took a few moments to figure out why his alarm clock was so far away. He was on the couch, still in the clothes he had worn to court yesterday, and to top it all off he had a fantastic headache.

As if a headache like this would not be disorienting enough for someone with the ability of sight, the pain made it hard to concentrate and so the visions and pictures he produced in his mind were fuzzy and dull, the noises were awfully loud. He sat up, groaning and rubbing his temples. The world seemed shaky and off balance.

"I don't remember coming back here..." He spoke in his normal, soft tone to himself before managing to drag himself to his feet to shut off his infernal alarm clock. The sound was only making his headache worse. He took a seat on the bed and reached over, giving the alarm clock a good smack to shut it off. He was going to be late to the office at this pace. It normally did not take him long to get ready, but in his state there was no way he could move quickly without the risk of tripping over himself.

He undressed and went to the shower, letting the warm water run over him. It gave him some relief from pain in his head as it washed the overwhelming smell of alcohol from his body. The shower seemed loud, but at least it was comforting and gave him sometime to recollect the events of last night. "Okay, well the last thing I remember was going to Josie's with Foggy and we were meeting karen after the win on that case." He pondered to himself and used the other context clues of the morning to decide that he had surely gotten drunk off his ass.

So his first idea when he got out of the shower was to call Foggy. Although it was not necessarily a big deal, he was a big boy he could take care of himself. But getting drunk in public these days made him a bit nervous. What if he started babbling on about his night job as "daredevil". How many people would actually listen to and even believe part of what a drunk blind man was saying was a different factor, but it troubled him at times none the less. He half dressed himself before walking to his bedside table to grab his phone. The only issue was it didn't seem to be there.

Matthew grumbled and began to feel around next to the table on the floor, under the bed, under his sheets. With no luck he began to search all parts of the floor, the bathroom, in the couch. He even went into the fridge and through all his drawers in an attempt to locate the he could normally detect the faint electrical signal from his phone, his current state of mind made It nearly impossible. _Call it? _The thought crossed his mind, but surely it was dead by now from not being charged the evening before.

He also noticed as he searched for his phone that his glasses were missing. Glasses were a bit harder to find than a phone, so he hoped that if he found one at least he could find the other.

Frustrated and running late, he ate his breakfast, finishing dressing and as he made his way out the door, grabbed his cane from the corner. At least he had that. He admitted to Foggy not long after the incident with Fisk, when everything was calm and they were once again on even and agreeing terms that he normally did not really need the cane but it was convenient when he decided he'd rather not concentrate completely on navigate. Even if he wanted to not use it right now, it would surely be a struggle with how his hangover was making him feel.


	2. Chapter 2

Matt liked to stop at the church in the morning to have a small chat with his priest, but he did not have time for that today as he made his way to the office of Nelson and Murdock as quickly as he could. He wouldn't ever label himself as an easily irritable person as far as everyday happenings but today, every crosswalk, every dog bark, every car horn annoyed him. And the fact that he felt terribly uncomfortable without his glasses on clawed at his patient as well. He could feel the glances of people who found it odd that he was staring off at nothing before they realized he had his cane. It wasn't his fault he looked like he was looking into empty space. He tried to not let it get to him though. It was a little odd, he supposed and if someone who had vision was doing the same thing it would surely be written off as creepy at the least.

He made it into the building that held his office a few floors above, relieved by some of the noise blocking provided by the building. The noises of crowds could be overwhelming and the busy streets of Hell's Kitchen were no different.

"Ahh! There he is!" We're the first words out of Foggy's mouth as his friend opened the door. His voice, as usual, was enthusiastic and welcoming. However, Matt winced at the normally comforting voice. It seemed so loud in the office that was normally so quiet. He could deal with loud noises, just not when he had the worst hangover he could remember since he and Foggy passed the bar test.

"Please Foggy, don't talk so loud." The man dropped cane in the corner, his brow furrowing. He let the surrounding smells, sounds and other cues of perception flood into his mind. "Where's Karen?" We're the next words to come out of his mouth. He should have easily been able to tell if she was here, and hoped he wasn't so out if that he couldn't even tell if she was there.

Foggy watched as he stood shuffling papers on Karens desk. A small smirk spread across his face as he watched Matt go about his business. He had seen his best friend get drunk enough times to know what he was like the day after, but this day was taking the cake. He didn't even have his glasses on.

"Out," Foggy started, "We ran out of coffee. She should be back soon." He watched Matt move to his side of the office, his hands reaching out to find the sides of the doorway. Foggy chuckled finally, unable to contain himself.

"What.." Matt's voice traveled through the door and was met in response to just another bout of laughter. "Did you drop me off last night?" Matthew had turned and was now leaning with his back against the wall of the doorway. He was facing Foggy's general direction, but his eyes were staring off forward. "I don't remember going home but I woke up on the couch."

"I couldn't really tell ya Buddy." Foggy continued to chuckle. "I don't remember anything after the 3rd bar."

"We went to a third bar?"

"We didn't spend much time at the second one if that makes you feel any better."

"No, not really. That just means we have to look more places." Matt took a hand and ran it down his face, rough with facial hair. Foggy tilted his head and quirked a brow in a questioning manner.

"Oh, I just, gave you a questioning tilt of the head." Foggy smiled widely while making his way to his own side of the office. Matt could tell what Foggy was doing, and Foggy knew it, but describing the actions of others was simply second nature to him. Matt also found it comforting, so he would very seldom make a point that he knew what was happening.

"You'll have to help me look for my glasses. I can't find them, or my phone for that matter." Matt shifted and took his weight off the door frame so he could set his briefcase on his desk. Foggy's laughter grew from the other room.

"I figured you just didn't bother with them this morning." Foggy was now at his desk, his paper shuffling continued. "So you're telling me that you can beat up bad guys at night but you can't find a phone and some glasses?"

"'Bad guys', Uhh make noises and breath and move around," Matt put a hand on his hip, the free one motioning back and forth with his speech. "Glasses and phones, not so much." He walked from behind his desk back to the main room of the office, His hands now both on his hips to meet. Foggy had also come back to meet him. He stood directly in front of his blind friend.

"True." Foggy reached out to Matt and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry man! Karen and I will help you find your stuff." Matt exhaled heavily. He was always appreciative of his friends help, but it didn't make him feel much better about the odds of findings his things.

The two men went about their ways in their own offices for a short time before Karen came back into the building. Matthew could tell she was coming from sounds she made on the stairs and the aroma of the coffee she carried. He tried to not pay attention to the everyday happenings of the building, but it was quiet on this morning and so doors closing, boards creaking, coffee pots running, they all distracted him. His headache made it hard to focus on reading his reports in braille anyways, so he gave up for the time being and let his head fall into the palm of his hand.

"Knew I should have taken something." He muttered to himself about not taking anything for the heachache.

"Im back." Karen announced as she entered the office, her gentle voice flowing through the air to Matts ears. She walked to the room where they kept their office snacks and drinks to drop off of the coffee. Her heels clicked rhythmically on the floor as she walked between the room and her desk.

"Morning." Matt finally spoke up, a smile spreading across his face as he noticed Karen stopping in his doorway.

"Why didn't you answer your phone this morning!" She questioned him, her arms folding. "Christ, I was worried. You know how we worry when you don't answer."

"He lost his phone!" Foggy raised his voice from across the way. Karen brushed a few locks of hair from her face, a look of worry still evident.

"Yeah, what Foggy said." Matt chuckled in almost nervous manner. "And you don't have to Worry Karen. I've told you, I can take care of myself." He hated when Karen dotted on him.

"Foggy can take care of himself too, and I still worry when he doesn't answer the phone." She frowned. "I worry because you guys are my friends and especially when the last time I saw you, you were, well... belligerent," She laughed, and rubbed at her forehead. "I'm going to worry."

"Fair enough." Matt's smile became very toothy. He would never lie, it felt good to have people who cared about him. "Would you be able to help Foggy and I search for my things later."

"Yeah yeah, of course. But we have work to do today first!"


	3. Chapter 3

**more exciting things are to come I promise, but we have to transition from event to event. Haha. This story is actually going in a different direction than I intended but I hope it turns out well. chapter 4 should be up in a short while. Thanks so much for all the favorites and follows! Don't forget to review! I love writing these characters.**

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Their day at the office was rather long, or felt that way at least. Business was picking up, but none of them complained. They had met with a new client in the afternoon and in the evening they spent time searching for complaints and character witnesses against a man who was on the opposite side of an assault charge. At some point during the day, Foggy reveled in the fact that this was the first time they had more than one client at a time.

"I think we have have a strong case for Mrs. Wright. If all goes as planned, we should be able to get her husband for lying under oath. Turn the prosecutor into the defendant! Haha!" The Nelson and Murdock team sat in the room with a large table where they came together to do research. When Foggy spoke, he had an eire of confidence. "Karen, what do you think?" She nodded with the same sureness. "What about you Matt?".

They both looked over at Matt who had his head resting in his palm propped up on his elbow, his eyes closed.

"Matt." Karen reached out to tap gently on his arm so as not to potentially frighten him. He didn't respond. Matt had already been sleeping off and on in his office for parts of the day to try to get his headache to go away. Even after advil, it wasn't until just recently that it began to fade.

"Damn it Matt you've been napping all day!" All day was a bit of an exaggeration, but the office was no place for sleep. Foggy raised his voice, letting the heavy stack of papers in his hand fall onto the communal table. The slam of the papers startled his sleeping friend, and so with a surprised grunt he finally woke up.

"Sorry sorry." He ran his hands over his face and began to slide his hands over the table to look for his glasses before remembering that they were missing. He exhaled heavily and coughed to clear his throat. "Sorry. Yeah sounds good." His eyes were wide and moved about sporadically from being startled.

"You don't even know what we were talking about." Foggy rolled his eyes and grabbed the files he threw on the table to take them back to his office. Matt sighed once more. It was his responsibility to work on the case as well and he felt like he had neglected most of his duties if the day. Karen could see the look of distress placed upon Matt's face and as Foggy left the room she reached out once more and tapped on his arm to get his attention.

"We're hoping our evidence will prove the husband was lying under oath." She filled him on the previous conversation. Her voice was like wind chimes and a summer breeze, soft and gentle, calming and warm. Matt couldn't help but smile as he let himself become adjusted to being awake again.

"Yeah, yeah. I agree." His senses were returning to normal, slowly but surely and he could feel her smiling back. He heard the click of her laptop closing and her shuffling as she stood and pushed her chair in. He began to do the same.

"Good! Now its getting kind of late and we did promise to help you look for your glasses and phone." Karen directed her voice towards Foggy's office to remind him of their promise. Matt felt at his watch while he stood. His fingers ran over the bumps of braille, indicating it was nearly 8 in the evening. Not really late, but they couldn't be sure as to how long this escapade could take.

"Yeah, alright." Foggy's voice held hints of frustration, but he sighed and let out the negative tone. He now stood in the doorway his arms crossed loosely over his chest. "Do you have any idea where to start looking?" His mood seemed lighter already.

"I really couldn't tell you." Matt shrugged, his eyebrows coming together in annoyance at the situation. His eyes however didn't waver from their fixed point, staring blankly at the other side of the table. He took his time to grab his belongings and put them into his work bag.

"Well I met you guys at Josie's and we left together, and you still had your phone and glasses then." Karen glanced between Matt and Foggy. "So we don't have to check there."

"We should just start there. We could have gone back at some point during the night." Foggy bit at his lip, waiting for a response from Matt. He stood, thinking for a moment.

"Yeah, might as well. Maybe going where we went will jog my memory." And so the three collected their belongings, shut out the lights and headed off through Hell's kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

They went to Josie's. No luck. They moved on to the bar down the street. Nothing there. The third bar came up short as well.

"Did you happen to notice if my friend here had a pair of sunglasses on last night. Probably around midnight?" Foggy asked the bartender, a weak smile on his face. He truly didn't even know if this guy was the bartender last night. He couldn't remember. Matt was not the only one who drank a bit too much.

"I wasn't here last night man." The bartender side eyed Foggy with Ill patience. He was busy trying to make drinks. "But if he left somethin' here I would have been told, so If someone came around asking for it I could give it back." His accent was thick with the sounds of New York.

"Right.." Foggy sighed and turned, giving the man behind the bar a kind goodbye with a single wave. "Thanks anyways." The trio left the barn, and after Karen complained of her bad choice of footwear, they decided to take a seat on a near by bench.

"Anything coming back to you guys?" Karen questioned, her voice dragging out. She looked to her right at Foggy, and then past him to Matt.

"Maybe you went to the gym?" Foggy suggested.

"Would have be closed by then I think." Matt shook his head.

"I went home after this. I remember that." Foggy tilted his mouth in a half frowning manner.

"You just left Matt to go wander around the streets drunk?" Karen turned slightly to glare at Foggy.

"Okay, admittedly that was probably a lapse in good judgement." He put both of his hands up and let them slap down onto his knees. "But I wasn't really in the mindset of good judgement."

"He's right," Matt was rolling his cane between his hands. "It's not really his fault. It isn't hard to win an argument with Foggy while he's drunk." He explained. "I'm sure I was sufficiently persuasive to convincing him I was fine on my own."

"Ugh. I should have just stayed with you guys. It makes me nervous when either of you are out wandering alone with all the stuff that has happened to us." Karen shook her head, almost disappointed in herself.

"You think it doesn't make us nervous that you wander off on your own too?" Foggy retorted. "You're the one that got attacked by tattoo guy and gorilla man, if you recall."

"Alright, yeah, fine. We're all worried about each other." Karen gave Foggy a punch on the shoulder.

While his two friends went on with their banter, Matt continued to roll his cane between the palms of his hands. He was trying to relax, to drown out the noises of the busy streets before him. It was all so loud, and invasive. He closed his eyes. Though the imagine in front of him didn't change, it helped him concentrate on trying to retrace his steps. The memory of smells, feelings, it was hard to recall. But suddenly it came to him.

"I think I went to Claire's..." He interrupted Karen and Foggy very bluntly. Yes, he remembered now. Just barely. The smell of her apartment building, her familiar voice that was so easy to listen to, it was vague but there.

"Who?" Karen raised a brow, he body turning more so she could get a better look at Matt in the street light.

"Uhh..." He stammered. "Friend of mine."

"You have friends besides us?" It was true she did not know every aspect of Matt's life, it was not her right, but she was a little baffled that she was not aware of this friend. It did not surprise her though, once she thought about it. Matt was never terribly open about his personal life.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matt half chuckled.

"I MEAN.." Karens words began to jumble. "That's not, I didn't mean it like, I just meant.." A nervous laughter escaped her chest.

"Looks like you dug yourself a pretty deep hole." Foggy smirked as she struggled to make up for her miss wording. Matt could not help but crack a wide smile. He put his weight into his cane and stood from the bench, adjusting his suit jacket.

"Yes, I have friends other than you guys. Not many though." His smile did not cease. "I'm going to head over to her place now. I'm not sure if she's working tonight though. You guys can go home if you like. No need to tail me."

Karen and Foggy both stood at the same time, both objecting to abandoning their friend.

"Nah buddy, we're coming with you."

"We promised we would help and help you will get." Karen added, stomping her foot in objection of the thought of going home.

"Well in that case we should take a cab, it's kind of far from here." Matthew laughed once more. "Since you guys offered to help, you can pay for it." They all began to laugh now while Foggy worked on flagging down a cab. "I'm serious." Matt added.

Sometime later they arrived at the apartment building and were standing at Claire's door. Matt gave it a good knock. He could hear the quiet sounds of the woman inside. She was fixing some dishes, and making food in the microwave. She had just come home from a day at the ER.

"Foggy, do you know this girl?" Karen pried, using her index finger to poke as Foggy's shoulder as they stayed a few feet back.

"Yeah, uh actually. I met her when Matt got umm" Matt turned his head, squinting in his friends general direction. "Got hit by that car! Remember." Foggy finished and displayed a wide, toothy grin.

"Ahh right." Karen gave a mocking tone. "Hit by the car." She added in air quotes. Matt igmored her sarcasm and gave the door another hard knock.

"Claire!" He added this time, his face very close to the door to make sure his voice was projected. He sensed her making her way to the door. She seemed annoyed, or frustrated at the least by how her footfalls sounded. When she opened the door, he gave her a very genuine smile.

"Matt, what are you-" Claire glanced down the hall at Foggy and Karen.

"I'm sorry to bother you, I know you don't...-" He cut his sentence short. He was going to finish with something along the lines of "I know you don't want to be personally involved with me and you're probably frustrated that I'm here right now" But those words were not for his friends to hear.

It was almost painful to him really, to stand there in front of her, feeling so normal. Not in need of lifesaving medical care. But he knew what the cost would be to ever make her real in his life. Something more than his nurse and occasional conversation buddy. But it was something he could not give up. He just could not. So he just stood there in front of her, a bit flustered before he boxed off those growing emotions in his mind.

"Was I here last night?" He started talking again, this time being precise with his intention. Karen and Foggy stood behind him, looking hopeful.

"Yeah..." Claire sighed and let her tongue roll over her lips. She backed away from the entrance. "I assume you're here for your things. I would have brought them to you earlier but I had to work." She gestured and invited them all inside.

"I gotta go grab them and change, it'll take me a minutes, come in." She added as they all three walked into the apartment. She had just returned from work and was still in her scrubs.

Karen and Foggy were a bit apprehensive but followed Matt. They were slightly taken back by how naturally he could move around in here as if it was his own home. They stood together by the entrance to the kitchen and watched as Matt approached Claire across the room.

He reached out his hand and let it hover in the air for a moment so he could figure out where her shoulder was. He set his palm gently on her.

She looked at him, her beautiful dark eyes that he would never see reflected the lights of the city perfectly through her window at the end of her living room.

"I'm sorry, Claire. Really. About anything I said or did yesterday..." He was going to continue but she gave a soft sigh and smile.

"You don't have to be sorry." She lifted his hand off her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "Just go stand with your friends for now and I'll get your stuff."

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**Matt ends up getting very emotional at Claire's and I'm super excited to write it. Please enjoy and make sure to come back for the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Matt stood at Claire's door, having made his way to her house from the last bar. He couldn't recall how he had gotten there, but surely a taxi drove him. He had anyone worth his times adress memorized after all. He had his body pressed against the door, his fist repeatedly pounding on its surface.

"CLAIRE..." He called. His voice was clear, and surprisingly unslurred for the amount of alcohol he had ingested. "Caire, I know you're in there Claire." He giggled at the rhyme while letting the handle of his cane tap against the door.

Claire was fast asleep when she heard the sudden thrashing at the door. She sat up quickly, her heart surely skipping a beat with fear before she realized who it was that was knocking. Ever since she had been kidnapped by the Russians, she was awfully wary. Though she was now safe from Matthew's enemies, she still became slightly worried when she walked around on her own, or when strangers knocked on the door.

She flung the covers off her bed and grabbed her medical bag, not knowing what to expect when she opened the door. Claire tossed it on the couch and grabbed her robe to cover up her t-shirt and sleep shorts. She exhaled, looking up as if praying to god to not open the door and see Matt caked in blood. She let the door open, a sigh of relief escaping her chest as she stared at him. He appeared fine in the dull lighting the hallway.

"Matthew Murdock, what-the-hell are you doing here?" She crossed her arms over her chest, her voice implied a short patience. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" She put up with a lot of his antics, but coming and beating on her door at one thirty in the morning when he did not seem to need assistance was too much.

Matt laughed, a great big smile on his face when she opened the door. 'Do you have any idea what time it is?' The question ran back and forth through his mind. He shook his head and pulled his right hand to his left wrist to feel at his watch. He let his sightless gaze fall forward, hidden by his glasses. Claire watched his fingers run over the watch at least three times.

"No," Matt finally answered. He blew air out of his mouth in a 'pfft' sound before he again began to giggle. "I just felt that thing like three times and I have no idea." His shoulders pulled into a heavy shrug. Claire scoffed.

"Get in here, right now." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him roughly into the apartment before he made anymore obnoxious noises that could potentially wake her neighbors.

"Whoa easy there tiger, you could at least take me on a date first." He almost went crashing into the floor, not entirely in the right sorts to balance himself as Claire dragged him into the room. When he collected himself, he emitted a laughter that was loud and deep.

"Shut up and sit on the couch while I get you a mint and a glass of water." A person did not have to be Matt Murdock to hear the scolding tone of her voice. God, he smelled like a distillery. And his breath smelled like he drank all of the product before it was even shipped out. She rolled her eyes, watching him in her peripherals. Matt let himself fall onto the couch lazily and in an uncontrolled manner. While he sat himself up, a heavy sigh slipped from his lungs.

He listened, letting his senses focus in as she clanged a few dishes around and opened a few drawers. Some time passed that was short, but he could not measure the true length of her absence before she returned from the kitchen. He managed to entertain himself in the meantime by tapping his feet and cane and by giving himself a good wiff. His own pungent and overwhelming odor of alcohol seemed to finally hit him. His attention turned to Claire as he lazily sensed she was in front of him.

"Drink."

He followed the command, taking the glass and the small mint candy that was held in her palm. He put the mint between his teeth and made a series of odd noises before slurping it in. He let the mint melt in his mouth, though the flavor and smell were uncomfortably strong. The coolness of the water was a welcoming relief to his body that felt like a radiator. The next thing he felt was her palm on his forehead. Her skin was soft and felt familiar to his jumbled perception.

"Come on and take your coat off, you're too warm." She instructed and grabbed the edges of his coat to assist him in taking it off. About midway through the second sleeve, he slumped over onto the couch and made a series of odd groaning noises. "Damnit Matthew, will you cooperate! You're the one that came here!" She was normally patience with these kinds of things. She had to deal with enough people like this in the ER but now, in her home at 1:30 am she was becoming short tempered.

"I didn't come here..." He paused and grabbed the bridge of his glasses with the hand that was free of the sleeve, nearly tossing them across the room. Claire let her face fall into a look annoyance. "For help." He finished his sentence. Claire finally managed to maneuver the drunken man from his coat. He promptly began to curl up on the couch.

"Then why did you- oh no!" She shook his shoulder and made him sit up, much to his dismay. "I'm taking you home before this night is over." He gripped her wrists. It was a weak and unsteady grip, at least for him. "Matt, stop. Why are you here? Why aren't you with your friends, or at home?" She tugged away from his grip, leaving him rather surprised.

"I don't know, I was just..." He let his eyes move and roll. "Karen and Foggy went home. I wanted someone to talk to..." He trailed off, his voice becoming softer.

"Matt.." Claire crouched in front of him, her soft brown hair falling over her shoulder as she set a Hand on his knee. He did not come around often anymore except when he needed help, so this visit was truly a surprise. But that was their agreement, more or less, that they would not get involved with each other. She would never admit to his face that she missed his company, but she did. Very much so. She quirked a brow, while happy to see him, she was not too thrilled with the state he was in. The drunkenness concerned her. She tilted her head to stare at the disheveled man. "Do you do this often?"

"Do what?"

"Drink this much." She frowned.

"OH." His voice was loud once more. Claire put a finger perpendicular to his lips to signal him to keep it down. "Oh..." He now whispered in an overly exaggerated hushed voice. "No." Claire wished she could tell if he was lying. "We just won a big case and all. I'm surprised I don't do this more often though. Its jumbled.. but peaceful." Claire's frown became deeper at his words. What did he mean? She moved next to him on the couch.

"It's peaceful?" She questioned, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as she watched him become increasingly distressed the longer he spoke. He slumped, let his head role around in his shoulders, widened his eyes.

"I can..." He stuttered through an exhale, an uncharacteristic amount of negative, and rather personal emotion seeped from his mouth. "I can still, you know. Hear it all, feel it. But sure as shit I can't concentrate." He wheezed out a weak laughter. "I don't just hear one thing, it's all coming in so it's all just background noise. Doesn't bother me as much." He turned to her, taking her hand in his. She listened intently. "I can't focus on all the sirens, all the yelling, all the cries." He paused.

"Keep going." She urged him on, feeling as though he needed encouragement to let this mental weight he seemed to be bearing of his shoulders.

"You know..." He began. "All those, heroes. You know, the heros in the battle of New York. The ones you see on TV. I feel like, they mostly all had choices. About whether or not they started doing, or had to continue doing what they're doing."

"Sure, yeah, that makes sense." Claire shrugged.

"You know, how many of the volunteered for what changed them, or have had the chances to just turn away?"

"I suppose I would say most of them." She sat back a little further into the couch. Matt gripped her hand tighter and took a deep breath.

"But, I can't ever. Turn away I mean..." He blinked slowly. "You know they just could turn blind eye, but I already have two of those. No matter if I fight or not, I'll always hear the screams. The cries, the pain, the suffering. I can't just shut it off like a fancy suit, or, or." His voice stuttered again. "I just have to deal with it."

"Matt," Claire stopped him, her frown deep. She brought her lips to his forehead and kissed it after brushing a bit of stray hair out of the way. "You don't have to deal with it alone though... Matthew, you have me whenever you call, you have Foggy and your other friend Karen. Matt they care about you."

His senses cleared from their awkward haze when she planted the kiss on his forehead. Oh how he wished, not only in that moment but since he had really started to get to know her, that they could be together. But she had made her choice, and so had he had no other choice but to respect it. He sighed, tilting his head to face her more directly.

"I guess sometimes I get so caught up in everything I forget what I really have right in front of me." He whispered. Claire's words were true. He had her, and his two best friends. Despite the hardships he and Foggy faced since the reveal of his alter-ego, Foggy was always there. Karen, she was so kind to him. So understanding, and had a different sort of comfort than Foggy. Matt clenched his fists around the fabric of his pant leg, nearly becoming angry with himself how neglectful he had really been in appreciating the people who cared for him.

"Are you staying here? I'm not sure you're really in a condition to walk home." She realized this contradicted her earlier statement about taking him home, but he seemed like he could use the company. Claire stood up as he pondered, her dark eyes meeting his unseeing green. His thoughts bounced around in his head, his anger turning to kind thoughts of his friends. He hardly was paying attention enough to the outside world to realize she was talking to him.

"Hmm, I uh. No. I need to go home. I have to go to the office in the morning." He sniffed at himself again briefly while he sat slumped on the couch. "Man I smell like a wine cellar."

"Yeah I don't want you leaving that stink in my house." Claire now had a smile on her face. She reached a hand out to assist him in getting up. With reluctance he grabbed her hand and she braced herself as the much heavier man used her as an aid for rising off the couch. He stood, failing to straighten his tie out in any decent way. "Lemme put something decent on so we can get you a cab."

And so she changed and they left, both of their tired minds not realizing that Matthew had left his glasses tossed across the room and his coat with his phone in the pocket. As they sat in the back of the cab, Claire had to continually poke Matt awake. His thoughts and mind were trying to drift to a less chaotic place in a state of sleep. He let their conversation soak in, an utterly new realization hitting him. It was odd that it truly took so long for him to get it. That even though he was scared of letting people in, even though there was a chance of them leaving him, it was worth the risk of disappointment in this part of his life to let people be his friend. And for him to be theirs. His abilities were not his choice, but his isolation from those who wanted to care about him was.


	6. Chapter 6

**final chapter! I'm so happy with how this turned out and Thank so much for all the support! There will certainly be more :^))**

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They all stood, waiting for Claire to return from her bedroom. For Karen and Foggy it was painfully odd. They were in a completely unfamiliar place but they silently agreed with meeting glances that it would have been rude to stand outside the door of Matt's lady friend's apartment. Karen moved the gaze of her blue eyes around the apartment. It was average sized, comfy, but oddly dim until Claire had turned the lights on.

Matt stood on the other side of the room, giving a kind, albeit weak smile in the general direction of his friends. He was trying to remember what conversations he had with Claire yesterday. He had the uncomfortable feeling that he had been oddly emotional. Sharing his feelings were not exactly his strong suit. It was only after he had bottled up feelings for too long would he break down. And his breakdowns were ugly and messy.

"Here." Claire's voice broke his concentration as she emerged from the bedroom now wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants rather than her scrubs. She held her hand out, the jacket with both his phone and glasses in the pocket hanging off her fingers. He could easily tell she was offering him his belongings and so he absently fished through the air once or twice before grabbing the collar of the suit jacket. Claire reached her other hand up to rub at Matthew's shoulder. "Come on I'm tired and want to go to sleep." Her voice as she urged him back towards the entrance to her apartment was full of kindness and a familiar charm, but he could tell she was indeed tired. When they moved across the room, Foggy and Karen shifted, from looking at each other to looking at Claire and Matt.

"I'm sorry, how rude of me." Matt spoke up as they came to stand in front of the kitchen near the other two in the room. "Claire, you know Foggy." She nodded. He was the man who had called her on the phone the night that he had found Matt nearly bleeding to death in his appartment. She remembered him very well from that night. How distressed he was, how betrayed he felt, and worried he was that his best friend's life was going to slip away unless she could do something quick. He was much calmer now and smiled at Claire, giving her a quick nod.

"This is Karen. She works at the office and," He waited a moment. "A good friend." He added, smiling. He could sense Karen's almost surprise. They were friends, surely, but she never could recall a time when he had introduced her as such. She copied his smile and held out her hand to shake Claire's.

"Nice to meet you." The blonde spoke up during the exchange. It was brief and they were soon out the door as Matt urged them, muttering about how he had overstayed his welcome and how Claire was tired and wanted to sleep. Matt turned back before following Foggy and Karen down the hall to face Claire in her doorway.

"I know as many times as I have said it, it probably doesn't hold much meaning anymore but thank you. Again." Claire exhaled, her hand tugging lightly at his sleeve. She so badly wanted to let her lips fall upon his forehead, but for the sake of both of them just smiled, her sweet eyes looking him over. It was strange to see him in his everyday clothes. She let his sleeve go before speaking.

"You're welcome. Always. And don't forget, I'm only a call away."

The next morning at the office was busy. They were preparing for a fast approaching day in court while looking into the details of their new case. Matt, Foggy and Karen were absorbed in their work from the time they all arrived until about 11 O'clock when Karen finally made some of the first conversation of the morning.

"We," She emphasized "have been working hard. We deserve to go out for lunch today." Her words were directed more towards Foggy than Matt, who she figured would be uninterested as usual in going out for lunch.

"A long lunch? On a day like this?" Foggy raised his voice from inside his office so he could be heard clearly. Karen quirked a brow at his response. He was almost never opposed to taking a good lunch break but was as focused on his work as ever.

"We're not like a bunch of robots. We can't work ourselves to death." Karen scoffed, her foot tapping in the floor behind Her desk where she sat.

"I'll go for lunch." It was Matt's voice that came into the reception area. Surprised, Karen let a chuckle escape her.

"That was Matt right?" She looked up from her papers at Matt who was now standing in the doorway of his office. She was almost in disbelief.

"Yeah." He put his hands on his hips and tapped his fingers, allowing his lips to pull into a wide smile. The red tint of his glasses shown on his face in the unfiltered light of the spring that shone through the office windows. Karen found herself staring at him. She never meant too and caught herself doing it too often. She was thankful he couldn't see her in those situations.

"Wait are you telling me," Foggy poked his head from his office and Karen turned her attention from Matt as soon as she heard him speak. "Matthew Michael Murdock, wants to go with US to lunch?" He had genuine shock in his voice. Matt nodded while Karen laughed once again.

"Yeah. Why is that so strange?" He nodded and tilted his head.

"Mark it on the calendar Karen! Matt is actually interacting with his friends!" Foggy threw his hands in the air and went across the office to grab up Matt in a hug.

"Ooof" His arms were pinned to his sides by Foggy's heavy embrace. "Ow Foggy, OW" He tried to keep his voice down as Foggy squeezed his ribs, bringing about a pain from a recent night of vigilante activities. He normally did not complain of pain, but was caught off guard by the tight squeeze.

"Sorry Buddy." Foggy stepped back and brushed Matt's shoulder while his blind friend stretched his arms. "Anyways, how about that pizza place around the corner."

"Sounds good to me." Karen uncrossed her legs and the sound of her chair moving across the floor indicated to Matt that she had stood up. He felt their gazes falling upon him.

"Yeah. Sounds good." He agreed. Even thinking of the smell made him nearly drool. It was one of his favorite places to eat.

As they walked down the street, Matt noticed himself smiling in a way he had not in a while. The laughter of his friends around him suddenly reminded him of the conversation he had with Claire in the early hours of the morning. They made him terribly happy, happier than he had been in so many years. Despite his need to keep his alternate identity a secret from one of them, he felt like their relationships were stronger than ever.

Surely he Foggy would never be the same, but maybe that was a good thing. No more secrets, a new start to their friendship. Karen on the other hand, he would have to work on that. He had always kept her at a distance, afraid of her coming too close and getting hurt. Or maybe he was afraid of her hurting him. But no more. It was time to let himself be happy and have relationships. What Stick had said to him, about letting his friends go. He could not, and he would not. They were his support, and with that realization, they sat down as friends to enjoy a good lunch for the first time in a long time. He even took his veil, his barrier, his glasses, off and set them on the table while they ate.

This was a new chapter, a new start, he was going to hold on to these people. And not let them go.


End file.
